NY officials call for federal action on mysterious drone sightings
After a series of reported drone sightings in the Northeast, New York officials called for federal action.
Following weeks of increased drone activity across the Empire State, federal authorities now plan to temporarily suspend the unmanned devices over certain areas in New York, the governor announced Thursday.
The move comes as drones have been thrust into the national spotlight after heightened sightings in recent weeks, upsetting residents in New Jersey and around the East Coast, and drawing the ire of elected leaders.
In a statement released by her office, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she spoke to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who said the Federal Aviation Administration plans to grant short-term flight restrictions over the “critical infrastructure” sites.
“This action is purely precautionary; there are no threat to these sites,” the governor said. “We will continue aggressively monitoring the situation as we call on Congress to pass legislation to give states and local law enforcement the authority and resources they need to manage this evolving technology. Public safety is my top priority and I will stop at nothing to keep my constituents safe.”
Areas in Queens, Bronx, Staten Island and Yonkers are among the locations listed in the FAA’s recent wave of drone restrictions.
According to Homeland Security, critical infrastructure includes highways, major bridges, tunnels, railways, utilities and buildings “necessary to maintain normalcy in daily life.”
The drone sightings have drawn critical responses from lawmakers at the local, state and federal levels, as well as President-elect Donald Trump, who questioned the uptick in drone activity: “Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t think so!”
Trump and other officials have suggested the military shoot the drones out of the sky in an effort to determine what they are. Civilians have also said they’d be willing to open fire on the aircrafts.
An origin for the strange sightings has not been confirmed.
What are drones?
Drones are non-crewed aerial vehicles that are remotely piloted and widely used among hobbyists, commercial users and the military for a variety of purposes.
The aircrafts are regulated by the FAA, the U.S. airspace authority. Nearly 800,000 drones are registered for commercial and recreational purposes, the FAA said.
New Jersey drone limitations
On Thursday, the FAA announced restrictions aimed at limiting drone flights over power stations and other infrastructure in New Jersey. They limit the machines to 400 feet of altitude but do not include not private airplanes or helicopters.
“At the request of federal security partners, the FAA published 22 Temporary Flight Restrictions prohibiting drone flights over critical New Jersey infrastructure,” the agency released in a statement.
Contributing: Eric Lagatta and Mary Walrath-Holdridge
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.